Crisis Management System In Use By More Than 2,000 Schools Nationwide

Jan 11, 2008

Prepared Response Inc., a provider of crisis management planning and response systems, recently announced that more than 2,000 school campuses in 270 school districts across the country are now using the company’s Rapid Responder Crisis Management System to protect students and staff.

Since 2000, the company has worked with tribal, local, state and federal agencies across the country to better prepare schools for emergencies of all types. To further validate the effectiveness of the solution, the statewide campus safety program in Washington state was the recent recipient of the 2007 Harvard/Noblis Innovations Award in Homeland Security and is based on the Rapid Responder solution .

“These school districts chose Rapid Responder to protect their schools based on Prepared Response’s extensive experience in school safety, the systems ease of use, and the ability to easily update facility information via the Web,” said Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response. “Rapid Responder has also proven highly effective in actual incidents, including a shooting at a Washington state high school where a gunman was isolated in 12 minutes and more than 2,000 students were evacuated offsite in less than 20 minutes.”

According to school officials, one of the major advantages is the company’s collaborative approach to emergency planning. Prepared Response’s highly experienced professional services team facilitates meetings between school officials and first responders, including police, sheriff, fire, and others that foster dialog and build relationships. During these pre-planning meetings, the various agencies discuss each other’s needs and how they can collaborate and coordinate their response during a wide variety of emergency situations, from shootings and lockdowns to fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hazmat spills. Prepared Response employs more than 30 full-time staff dedicated to supporting emergency preparedness consulting and crisis management services.

“Parents I’ve talked with in the community are very appreciative that the district is taking steps to help ensure their children’s safety, “ said Ethan Hoff, Safe School Administrator for San Juan Unified School District which has 80 K-12 campuses in the Sacramento, Calif. area that have deployed Rapid Responder. “When districts use technology like Rapid Responder, it provides instant access to critical building information that can really save time during a crisis.”